World Cup Betting Tips: Best Odds & Predictions For Saturday’s Fixtures
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World Cup Last 16 Predictions:
The knockout stage of World Cup 2022 begins on Saturday, with four of the 16 teams still standing set to battle it out for two places in the quarter-finals.
Here is our preview of the action, together with the latest odds from the best World Cup betting sites.
The Netherlands advanced to the knockout stage with a 2-0 victory over Qatar on Tuesday. It was a comfortable enough afternoon for the Dutch, but their two previous showings were not particularly impressive.
On matchday one, Louis van Gaal’s side ran out 2-0 winners against Senegal, with both goals coming late on. It was an even match that could have gone either way, but the Lions of Teranga just lacked a cutting edge in the final third and some second-half substitutions swung the contest in the Netherlands’ favour.
A few days later, Van Gaal’s men were outplayed by Ecuador and were highly fortunate to pick up a point. Had the South Americans been more clinical with the chances they created, they would still be present in Qatar.
The USA are the underdogs in the first last-16 tie, but they will note that their upcoming opponents have not exactly set the world alight so far. Frenkie de Jong has been as classy as ever in the centre of the park, but other key players for the Dutch have struggled with form, fitness or both.
Manchester United target Cody Gakpo has suddenly emerged as their most important attacker with three goals in three games so far.
The USA went unbeaten in Group B, sealing their place in the round of 16 with a 1-0 defeat of Iran on Tuesday. Gregg Berhalter’s boys handled the occasion brilliantly, playing measured, mature football that earned them the three points they needed to advance.
The USA will have less of the ball in this encounter, but that is not necessarily a bad thing for a team that contains plenty of speed, stamina and athleticism.
The Americans will look to feed the ball to Tim Weah and Christian Pulisic in space – if the Chelsea star passes fit – while their midfield energy could give them the upper hand in that crucial part of the pitch.
The Netherlands have been underwhelming up to now and they could be in store for a difficult afternoon. We fancy the USA to at least take this to extra time with appealing odds available on football betting sites.
Tip: USA or draw – 10/11 with BoyleSports
Argentina were left fearing the worst after that stunning 2-1 defeat by Saudi Arabia on matchday one, but in the end they advanced to the last 16 pretty comfortably.
Two-nil victories over Mexico and Poland saw Lionel Scaloni’s side through as Group C winners, and they will fancy their chances of making it three wins on the bounce when they do battle with Australia on Saturday.
The Socceroos have done magnificently to get this far. They finished a distant third in their Asian qualification group behind Saudi Arabia and Japan, then had to beat the United Arab Emirates and Peru in play-off matches to book their spot at this World Cup. It was a long-winded journey which lasted for more than 1,000 days.
Graham Arnold’s side were thumped 4-1 by France in their first outing, but they bounced back admirably to beat both Tunisia and Denmark 1-0 to qualify as Group D runners-up.
Australia have showed an abundance of defensive resolve and tactical intelligence, not to mention a ferocious team spirit and collective character.
Those qualities mean they cannot be written off here, but it will be extremely difficult for Australia to avoid defeat by a team that is building momentum at the ideal time. Argentina strolled to victory over Poland last time out and Scaloni looks to have found his favoured XI.
Centre-back duo Harry Souttar and Kye Rowles have delivered a masterclass in penalty-box defending in Australia’s last two matches, but they were aided by the insipid attacking efforts of Tunisia and Denmark.
It will be much harder to keep the likes of Lionel Messi, Angel Di Maria and Julian Alvarez quiet this weekend, with betting sites making Messi 5/2 to score the opening goal.
Australia can be proud of reaching the round of 16 for only the second time, but their campaign will surely end here. We fancy Argentina to triumph in a match featuring three goals or more.
Tip: Argentina to win and over 2.5 goals – 10/11 with Bet365
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